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Mailbag: Maryland, Kentucky and the best/worst leagues

Welcome back to the weekly college hoops mailbag. We promise it's real and not some internet hoax, and that our college basketball reporters Nicole Auerbach and Eric Prisbell actually did answer these.

Welcome back to the weekly college hoops mailbag. We promise it's real and not some internet hoax, and that our college basketball reporters Eric Prisbell and Nicole Auerbach actually did answer these questions ...

Without further ado, your questions and their answers:

@amandajv81 Do you think the young terps team will be able to mature and win some #ACC games?

Prisbell: Listen, it's not always pretty and Maryland will at times struggle to cross the 50-point threshold. But I've said for a while that the Terrapins will be dangerous by regular season's end. Here's my evolved thoughts on the topic: Maryland has a chance to beat just about anyone and has a chance to lose to just about anyone. That is what youth brings a team, and Maryland has loads of it. When I spent some time with Mark Turgeon, he told me the ceiling on this team is extremely high but that he doubts he will be able to sap everything out of this team by April because it is so young. Duke, when fully healthy, is the best team in the league. Miami, when fully healthy, is the wild card and worth buying some stock in. N.C. State has strong potential but prone to underachieving at times as well. The N.C. State win won't be the last upset for Maryland this season. But expect some more valleys as well. And just hope the combination is good enough to squeeze into the NCAAs.

Auerbach: I see what Eric is saying, and I agree with most of it. The one thing I'll disagree with is the the chance to beat and also lose to just about anyone. I did watch Maryland blow a lead to and lose to Florida State, BUT I believe the Terps are going to get better and more consistent. They needed to get the ball rolling so to speak, and I believe we'll see a more comfortable and confident team now that they've beaten a good ACC team in N.C. State. I could be wrong, of course. But a good win is a good win, and there's a reason coaches and players say winning is contagious. I am still not sure what to make of Florida State and UNC, but other ACC teams -- Duke, N.C. State and Miami -- are cementing themselves as solid upper-tier teams. I think Maryland can get to that level if it simply plays better more consistently (which means not forgetting the Ukranian weapon they have in Alex Len).

@HunterWBN: How many SEC wins get UK a top 10 Tourney seed?

Prisbell: As you know, the selection committee never has a magic number of conference victories that will ensure a team a berth in the NCAA tournament. Plenty of teams with losing conference records have gained at-large berths. And plenty of teams with double-digit wins in major conferences have been excluded from the NCAA tournament. Any selection committee member will tell you, all that matters is this: Who'd you play, where'd you play and how'd you do? Kentucky has a good strength of schedule number. The Maryland victory over NC State makes UK's victory over Maryland look better. But UK has a dearth of top-100 victories and need plenty more. It has no top-50 victories and needs at least a couple. Problem is, there are few opportunities for those in the lackluster SEC. The conference record won't matter as much as which teams Kentucky beats, and it would be well served to get one or two wins over the likes of Florida and Missouri, the two real quality teams in the league.

Auerbach: Like Eric said, there's no magic number. I think the question right now, though, is more about how many SEC wins get Kentucky into the tournament at all. (Yes, I'm being slightly dramatic, but have you watched UK play lately? Time to be nervous.) Wins over Florida and Missouri (and possibly Ole Miss) are the only ones from the SEC that will help boost a resume. So Kentucky cannot really keep losing to any of the other SEC teams if it wants to make the tournament and get a decent seed. I am more worried about losses than wins for UK at this point, which sounds weird.

@SEC_Nerd: How long will it take Rick Ray to make Mississippi State relevant again? How's he done so far?

Prisbell: The Mississippi State job is a tough job. I would not say it is an attractive job. I sat with Renardo Sidney Sr. during Mississippi State's disheartening loss in the SEC tournament last season. I have not seen a team underachieve like Miss State did last season in a while. Rick Stansbury did a very good job over a long period of time in Starkville, but it was time for new blood. The problem for Rick Ray, who has an upstanding reputation, is that when I talk with coaches around the country, there is a concern that it is difficult to win consistently at State without cheating. The location is not exactly NYC. And recruiting in the South at times is cutthroat. Don't get me wrong, I have not heard that Stansbury engaged in any elaborate cheating schemes whatsoever to get players. Quite the contrary, he was a good man and a good coach who did a notable job oaver a long period of time. But there is nothing about Miss State, to me, that says this program should win all the time. Rick Ray, a highly capable coach, has his work cut out for him. And if he wins, I believe it will be clean. Just questioning how difficult it is to consistently win there now in today's climate by not operating in a so-called gray area in recruiting.

Auerbach: For what he had returning, I think Ray is doing a fine job. He's 2-1 in the (yes, weak) SEC, and I think this team can beat any of the other weaker SEC teams moving forward. I'll defer to Eric on the question about relevancy. It's hard to be a relevant SEC basketball team when football dominates that league and the culture, so it's going to be a tall task for Ray. But so far, considering everyone who left, he's not doing half bad.

‏@TCUFan1: what was the reason behind the SEC doing away with the east and west divisions this year?

Prisbell: When the SEC did away with the two-division format, which I think it had since 1991, the rationale was that it would help the league get more at-large tournament berths or at least create the perception that it should. I remember a few years ago when the SEC East got five teams in the tournament and the SEC West got zero teams in. Alabama had a 12-4 league record but was ranked 80th in the RPI and failed to get a berth. And the bottom of the SEC West was awful. Will it translate into more berths? I don't necessarily believe that. Take this season, we're looking at four or five from the SEC. But only Florida and Missouri are likely to get single-digit seeds, at least how the tournament landscape appears right now.

Auerbach: I don't think divisions or any SEC scheduling could earn this league more bids. It's just one of those years, like the Pac-12 suffered through last year.

@ArunDas: Indiana falls at home to Wisconsin - top of the big ten standings is an unranked team... Who wins it?

Prisbell: Ah, the Big Ten. The Big Ten is fantastic. You have at least six teams that have a chance to win the league title. And wouldn't it be cool for Wisconsin to do so after losing four games during non-league play. It would be foolish to count out Michigan State given Tom Izzo's track record. Minnesota has overachieved some. My gut says Michigan will edge out a league title, but it's just a hunch. This much I do know: The top four or five teams in the final Big Ten standings will have an excellent chance to reach the Final Four.

Auerbach: I wish we could answer this after tonight's Michigan-Minnesota game, because I think that's going to be pretty telling. I'm really not sure who's going to win the Big Ten, though I can tell you at least six teams can win it. (I think Illinois has dropped out of the contender category, though John Groce has impressed me immensely this season.) Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the Big Ten regular season crown is shared by three teams, just like it was last year. I think Michigan, Indiana and Minnesota are the favorites, but as I've said all year, it's hard to pick against Tom Izzo (and Bo Ryan). So even if Michigan State and Wisconsin don't win the league title, they could be very dangerous teams in the NCAA tournament just because those teams always get better as the season progresses due to great coaching. This year won't be different.

Either way, I'm excited to watch Big Ten basketball the rest of the season. It's given us some highly entertaining games on a nightly basis, and I will not complain about that one bit!